Publisher: Pen & Sword (November 2008)

Details: Across Asia Minor and Greece with fire and sword in the company of Mithridates VI (the great) of Pontus. This book focuses primarily on the military history of the Mithridatic wars, and on the indomitable character of their leading figure - the violent, ruthless, Machiavellian yet charismatic Mithridates. However, Roman opponents - who were generally just as violent and unscrupulous - are given space as well, along with a host of minor characters including adulterous and scheming wives, pirates, and foreign kings. With major battles, epic sieges and world-class political skulduggery, the story of Mithridates reads like a Hollywood epic, but it happens also to be a true story of stubborn resistance to Roman expansionism in the last days of the republic.

Publisher: Thames & Hudson (1 April 2009)

Details: The Roman army of AD 100. What was life like in the finest fighting force of antiquity? This book vividly takes you through a career in the legions from how to sign up, where you might serve and what sort of pension plan to expect. Every aspect of army life is covered from hand-to-hand combat to training regimes, choosing boots and stopping your armour from going rusty.

Drawing from the actual experiences of those who served with the legions and those who fought against them as well as from the latest research and academic study, this short, carefully researched yet irreverently unacademic book brings to life how it might have been to have served under the imperial eagles.